Rowling Answers 10 Questions About Harry

This short article appeared after the publication of Deathly Hallows, when Rowling was a runner-up for Person of the Year in 2007. The answers are culled from various sources, including fan discussions and Time’s own interviews with Rowling.

The questions are:

Why doesn’t Fred appear in the woods at the end as well?

Did Harry die?

The question that surprises her: What was that creature in the corner at King’s Cross?

The question she feared getting: What was Dumbledore’s wand made of?

What did Dumbledore really see in the Mirror of Erised?

Where do wizard children go to school before Hogwarts?

Are Harry and Voldemort related?

Who does Draco Malfoy marry?

Where do the main characters work as adults?

Was Teddy Lupin a werewolf?

Interesting facts and notes

"Having taken Harry's blood into himself, Voldemort is keeping alive Lily's protective power over Harry — except that the power of Lily's sacrifice is a positive force that not only continues to tether Harry to life, but gives Voldemort himself one last chance ... Voldemort has unwittingly put a few drops of goodness back inside himself; if he had repented, he could have been healed more deeply than anyone would have supposed. But of course, he refused to feel remorse."

What did Dumbledore really see in the Mirror of Erised?
His family, alive and whole and reconciled.

Who does Draco Malfoy marry?
Astoria Greengrass, younger sister of the Greengrass family. We meet Daphne Greengrass, part of Pansy Parkinson's Slytherin posse, in Book V when Hermione takes her O.W.L.s. Neville marries Hannah Abbott, who becomes the owner of The Leaky Cauldron. "I do have it all worked out in my mind because I couldn't stop myself doing that."

Where do the main characters work as adults?
Harry and Hermione are at the Ministry: he ends up leading the Auror department. Ron helps George at the joke shop and does very well. Ginny becomes a professional Quidditch player and then sportswriter for the Daily Prophet.

Commentary

Part of Rowling's answer to this question is not correct:

4. The question she feared getting: What was Dumbledore's wand made of?
"That would have been quite a telling question. Because I had this elder thing in my mind, cause elder has this association in folklore, it's the death tree. I thought 'what am I going to say?'" It would have given away too big a clue. But no one asked.

Actually, someone did ask, and very publicly: Steve VanderArk. In his open letter to Rowling where he posed questions for her to answer on her website, he asked what Dumbledore's wand was made of. She dodged the question by simply ignoring it and never answering it at all on her site.